The present invention relates to: a device for confirming, when a golf club is addressed, whether or not the direction (as will be called the xe2x80x9cfacing directionxe2x80x9d) in which the club head is faced is accurately at a right angle with respect to the direction in which a golf ball is to be hit. Also provided is a method of forming such an index on the club head for orienting the facing direction of the club head visually in an accurate direction when the golf club is addressed. Additionally provided is a golf club capable of correcting a deviation of the facing direction, caused by aberations of the trained eye, visually when the golf club is actually addressed. Furthermore provided is a golf club having a head with an index capable of orienting the facing direction visually in an accurate direction.
A putter club, one of the golf clubs, is exemplified in tie prior art by one dedicated especially to an operation to measure whether or not the putter is accurately addressed to have its facing direction to a target cup at a right angle with respect to a straight line, by constructing the device such that a laser beam is emitted from the face of the putter head. However, there exists no device which can perform this measurement operation by using an ordinary golf putter.
In order to practice the accurate addressing of the putter, therefore, there has been employed a putting practicing mat which is provided with a cup and which is provided on its surface with a line directed to the cup and a line intersecting with the former at a right angle. Moreover, this putting practicing mat has been employed to make a correction to orient the facing direction in an accurate direction, such that the putting is practiced by paralleling the line, which is defined by the face of the club head and a corner of a crest, to the perpendicular line on the mat.
Another putter, as employed, is provided on its club head with a parallel index line and/or a perpendicular index line on the face. Whether or not tie putter having such an index line is accurately addressed with respect to the direction in which the golf ball is to be hit is decided with respect to the index line.
Even after a number of practices were made by using the putting practicing mat of the prior art, there is a disadvantage in that no line for confirming the accuracy in the facing direction is indicated on the practice green of a golf course during the actual putting on the course. This makes it necessary for the golfer to determine the facing direction of the putter exclusively by the help of the visual feeling of the player. Hence, the practicing method has failed to achieve an improvement in the putting technique. Here, it is extremely difficult to determine the facing direction of the putter accurately relying just upon the visual feeling of the player himself, and this difficulty cannot be eliminated by the practice or the like in the least. This is because the human being has two eyes, one of which is skillful, or trained, and the other which is not.
At putting, more specifically, the player usually stands at the position of a golf ball to visually determine the direction, in which the ball is to be hit, and then addresses himself to the golf ball. More strictly, the club head of the putter is so arranged that its face line may take a right angle with respect to the trajectory of the hit ball.
Then, the following illusion occurs. When the club head is observed with two eyes, the observer falls in such a feeling that the left eye gazes the club head from the left side thereof whereas the right eye gazes the same from the right side thereof, and that the putter is accurately address at the center of the observer""s body and with the face line of the club head being accurately aligned with a line perpendicular to the putting line. As a matter of fact, however, the position of the club head is recognized with the skillful eye and auxiliary with the inferior eye. As a result, the transverse balance cannot be achieved by the observation with the two eyes. By observing the club head with the two eyes at the moment the putter is addressed, the observer feels that the address is correct. As a matter of fact, however, the putter address is deviated to cause a slight deviation between the line perpendicular to the ball hitting direction and the facing direction.
The correctness of this theory is apparent if the putter head is observed only with the inferior eye by closing the superior eye while keeping the position in which the putter is addressed with the two eyes.
Practically, moreover, a deviation is caused between the visions of the right and left eyes by the difference in the visual acuity between the right and left eyes and in the directions of vision.
Even if the player himself believes that he addresses the putter correctly, there is the illusion caused by vision so that the facing direction fails to align accurately with the line perpendicular to the putting direction. The fact is that the facing direction is turned more or less clockwise or counter-clockwise.
For these reasons, moreover, the index line parallel or perpendicular to the face can be utilized, even if indicated, only if the player has an accurate visual feeling, Otherwise, the index line will obstruct the correct putting.
There is also known a putter in which an index line angularly spaced more or less from the face line are indicated on the face line side of a crest the putter so that the deviation in the facing direction can be corrected by adopting the index line as a measure. In this putter, however, the face line and the index line are arranged close to each other, As a result, the two lines overlap and are difficult for the eyes to differentiate making it difficult to address the putter by gazing at only the index line. Moreover, the visual balance may be lost because the two lines are seen. As a result, a contrary effect may be invited by the indicating index line.
After the keen investigations of the present inventor over many years, it is an object of the invention to provide a device capable of accurately confirming how much a facing direction of a club head is deviated when the head is addressed, a method of forming an accurate index in a club head from angle of deviation, as calculated from the deviation, and a golf club which is able to address the head of a golf club by forming not a mere line but an index utilizing a visual illusion to look straight at only the index while disregarding the face line.
According to the invention, there is provided a facing direction confirming device for a golf club head comprising a mat having a predetermined length, a light source mounted on one end side of the mat for emitting a light beam, a reflecting mirror mounted on the other end side for confirming the direction of the light beam, a ball target interposed close to the light source between the light source and the reflecting mirror, and a transparent plate interposed between the light source and the ball target for detecting a light spot reflected from the reflecting mirror.
With this construction, the beam direction is so adjusted that the beam from the light source is reflected to the light source by the reflecting mirror, the reference light spot by the reference light is determined on the transparent plate and the head of the golf club is addressed on the side of the reflecting mirror between the light source and the reflecting mirror and aimed at the ball target. When the light beam is then emitted from the light source, it is reflected on the face of the club head, and the reflected beam impinges upon the transparent plate so that its reflected light spot can be detected on the transparent plate. If the reflected light spot coincides with the reference light spot, therefore, it can be confirmed that the club head is addressed in the accurate facing direction. If the reflected light spot and the reference light spot fail to coincide, it can be confirmed that the facing direction is inaccurate. It can be further confirmed from the distance between the two light spots how much the facing direction is inaccurate. According to the device for confirming the facing direction of the golf club head, therefore, the golfer is able, merely by addressing the golf club, to confirm instantly whether or not the facing direction of the club head is accurate and to decide easily how inaccurate the facing direction is. Thus, the facing direction confirming device can be employed as a practicing tool for correcting the facing direction of the club head. Since it is possible to measure how inaccurate the facing direction is, moreover, the facing direction continuing device can also be employed as a device for sewing an index to color or deform the club head itself so that the facing direction of the club head may grow accurate, even if the addressing of the golf club is inaccurate.
According to the invention, there is also provided a method of forming an index of the facing direction of the head of a golf club comprising the steps of: determining a reference light spot by a reference light on a transparent plate by mounting a light beam emitting light source on one end side of a mat having a predetermined length, by mounting a reflecting mirror on the other end side for confirming the direction of the light beam, by interposing a ball target close to the light source between the light source ad the reflecting mirror, by interposing a transparent plate between the light source and the ball target for detecting a light spot reflected from the reflecting mirror, and by adjusting the direction of the light beam from the light source so that the light beam may be reflected to the light source by the reflecting mirror; addressing the head of the golf club on the side of the reflecting mirror between the light source and the reflecting mirror such that it may be collated to the ball target; calculating a deviation angle to be made between the reference light and a reflected light, which is reflected on the face of the head of the golf club by emitting the light beam from the light source, by detecting the reflected light spot of the reflected light on the transparent plate, and by metering the distance between the reference light spot and the reflected light spot; and forming an index on the club head for correcting the deviation angle.
By adopting this method, it is possible to form the index which corrects the deviation actually. According to the method of forming the index of the facing direction in the head of the club head, therefore, it is conveniently made possible, by measuring the deviation in the facing direction with the facing direction confirming device, to calculate the line for forming the index, and it is advantageous that the formed index is practical and accurate.
In the method of forming the index of the facing direction of the head of the golf club, it is effective to form the index by changing colors so that the normal face line may be neutralized by making use of the visual illusion.
Moreover, in the method of forming the index of the facing direction of the head of the golf club, it is effective to form the index by changing the shape of the club head so that the normal face line may be neutralized by making use of the visual illusion.
Therefore, the aforementioned methods of forming the index of the facing direction in each putter are one making use of the visual illusion with the colors and the other mating use of the visual illusion with the change in the head shape. According to either method, therefore, the club can be swung without being disturbed by the normal face line of the club head.
According to the invention, still moreover, there is provided a golf club comprising a club head for correcting such a deviation in a facing direction of the face of the club head as might otherwise be caused by the difference of a skillful eye. The most important point of the invention is to invent such golf club.
According to a specific construction, there is provided a golf club comprising a club head having an index formed at a position of the crest of the head on the side opposite to the face of the club head and having a slight difference in the angle from the face line formed by the face. In the golf club, the index is formed by indicating an index line, by changing colors, or by changing the shape of the club head. With this construction, when the club is to be actually swung, this swing can be made accurate by that index without being disturbed by the face line, which is intrinsically formed on the club head. When this golf club employs the facing direction coring device to form the index in the club head by the index forming method, the facing of the club head can be oriented accurately in the direction perpendicular to the ball hitting direction in accordance with the golf technique of each golfer so that this technique can be drastically improved.